


Bound By Blood

by AJ_Pastel_Punk



Category: Monster High
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Family, Family Issues, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Sibling Bonding, Single Parents, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:29:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28081692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJ_Pastel_Punk/pseuds/AJ_Pastel_Punk
Summary: Madelia Baros felt drawn to that place, for a reason she couldn’t seem to identify. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that it had something to do with her little brother. The brother she hadn’t seen, heard from, even about in years.
Relationships: Cleo de Nile/Deuce Gorgon, Deuce Gorgon & Medusa Gorgon, Deuce Gorgon & Original Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

She had wanted nothing more than to have children, but she knew it would not be possible. In the position she held she was to remain pure, under an oath that she did not dare to break. Even without her child she was happy, she stood proud under her oath alongside a friend. But It was all taken from her at once, when he caught sight of her beauty. Overcome with lust he took her for himself.

Her oath broken though not of her own free will, she was cast out. But her friend offered up a hand, to help her. At her request she received a gift so that no man, monster, or god could come upon her again. A gift they all viewed as curse. She took the appearance of her sisters, monsters feared by many throughout the land. 

Her beautiful golden hair was replaced with green serpents. Her skin grew scaly tinted with yellow and green. Her eyes glow a vibrant green beyond description with a power possessed only by her, even amongst her sisters. A power that if any man were to gaze into her eyes they would be petrified in stone for all eternity. 

With time she grew to know a single good to come from the horrible act done to her. Soon to come was a child. She knew not what it would be, monster, man, or god, but to her it did not matter. She would finally receive the one thing she always wanted.

Many turned away from her, revolted by her appearance, terrified of her stare. They tried to hunt her down but never were successful. She would turn them to statues of marble and brush the violent attacks aside, focused only on the joy that was to come.

Then he appeared, a warrior later praised by the world for his great feat. With a mirror gifted to him for intent of slaying the terrible monster they all feared, he broke into her home, a place she should have felt safe from harm. There was nothing more she could do, for staring at her own reflection would bring to her the same fate as the men who had come to slay her before. With one fateful blow he took off her head to be used as a weapon and a trophy.

Her sisters managed to retrieve her head from the warrior, reuniting it with her body. They healed their younger sister using the blood of their right side. She awoke to the news that in her death her children survived. Two sons. Two sons she would never be able to see.

She vowed that she would never let a man sneak into her heart for they were no more than scum of the earth. They stole everything from her. Her life, her children, her title, stolen by the selfish intent of men. 

That was until she met one man, unlike any other she’d met before. A man not turned away by her appearance, unafraid of her deadly gaze. A man who showed her love unlike anything she had ever known before.

This was love, she was sure of it. 

They soon began to have problems. Fighting was almost a daily occurrence. They were beginning to think that all of the love they’d once felt for each other was gone. Talk began of a divorce. They had nothing to lose. Then the day came. The day found out that they had a child on the way.

Nine months later, a little girl was born, human, like her father, but her eyes the same piercing green. For the first time in a long time they began to feel peace. And for five years they were happy.

Then came their son. The same serpent hair and stone gaze as his mother. As he grew more problems arose. Like his mother anyone who looked into his eyes would become encased in stone, but his stare was less than permanent. The boy didn’t know how to control his power and would often turn objects to statues for hours at a time. 

The man seemed to grow increasingly annoyed. His once perfect life now ruined by a destructive child. 

They began to fight, through the nights. Until one day he left, taking their little girl with him. She wanted nothing more than to get her back but she knew the reality of the human world, she would never be given the chance to see her daughter again.

Another man broke her heart, and stole what she loved most. But she still had her son, and she was going to do anything she could to keep him safe. She would not lose another child.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madelia is inspired by my older sister who went away to college recently. My sister is my best friend and I’ve been really struggling without her around. So when she came home for Christmas break I got inspired to write this story.

Madelia Baros had woken up early, just to get on to that fight. A trip she’d been saving up for, one she was not about to miss even if she had to lose a few hours of precious sleep. She was setting off for a town called New Salem. A place known for being a cross to the monster world. Many other places had similar sightings, similar occurrences, but something about the town stood out to her, something she couldn’t identify. 

Madelia had always had an interest in monsters. She wasn’t sure if it came from her father using the term to describe her mother all throughout her childhood. If it was the name bullies would use to taunt her because of her skin condition. If it was the image she’d created of her mother in a state of confusion and trauma. But her fascination grew strong, even now at the age of twenty one.

She had been eight years old when her parents split. Old enough to remember, but still young enough to forget. 

She remembered her mother, but she remembered her as a monster, a woman with a stone gaze and snakes for hair. Therapists said that it was due to the trauma of being abandoned by her mother, because of course monsters aren’t real. Her mind morphed the woman into a creature of nightmares. But it wasn’t only her mother. She remembered so clearly holding her little brother while her parents fought in the other room. He too possessed a hair of serpents and a gaze to turn a person to stone.

She had always wanted to know more about her family. Why her father never made an effort to see his son. Why her mother didn’t want to see her. But none of those questions were answered for her. When Madelia asked her father to invite them to her birthday he said that her mother wanted nothing to do with them. Whenever she asked about her brother her father wouldn’t answer.

As ridiculous as it seemed, even to her, Madelia always hoped that by some miracle she’d find her brother again on her expeditions. Even if her mother wanted nothing to do with her, she had to know what became of her brother. He should be sixteen or seventeen years old by now. She wanted to see how he’d grown, the kind of person he had become. He wouldn’t remember her, she knew that. She hardly remembered him, and he was only three the last time they’d seen each other. But she had some hope left that one day they’d be reunited.

Something about this trip gave her hope. Hope that had seemed to have almost completely die off years ago.

Her flight out of Greece was long and uneventful, but it gave her time to prepare her notepad for the discoveries she might make. Organization was something she prided herself in, something her father taught her was of the utmost importance. Without her notes being perfect she was sure her little expedition would be useless. 

When her plane landed she called her dad, telling him about her safe arrival in America. She didn’t dare tell him the reason for her visit. He never approved of her investigations into the lives of monsters, she knew that he didn’t believe in them, and no amount of evidence she presented would change that. She knew though, even if her mother hadn’t been a monster, she knew for herself, she’d seen it, that monsters were truly real. That they weren’t the horrid creatures they were made out to be.

From the airport she caught a cab to the nearest car rental. She certainly didn’t want to drag some unsuspecting cab driver into the far reaches of the forest as she looked for signs of monsters. 

The drive to New Salem was long, especially after her flight. Madelia was beyond grateful for the diner right next door to her motel, giving her a chance to stop for a much needed dinner. The walls were decorated with newspaper clippings of monster sightings and survivor's tales. She read through the articles as she sipped her coffee, knowing full well that she would not be going to sleep when she returned to her motel room.

“Not exactly tourist season. Too much snow, not a lot to do.” A voice stated, and Madelia turned to find her waitress, “My, your eyes are beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen eyes so green.”

Madelia smiled, “Thank you.”

"You interested in monsters?” The waitress asked, setting Madelia’s food on the bar.

Madelia turned to face the older woman and smiled, “Yeah. It’s the reason I came to town actually.” She answered.

The woman refilled Madelia’s mug, “With eyes like those, wouldn’t have been surprised if you were some kind of a monster yourself.” 

Madelia knew that most would have taken that as an insult, but she didn’t and she knew the woman meant no harm with it. She didn’t look too out of the ordinary but she knew all too well that she didn’t look completely normal. Her green eyes always seemed to capture people’s attention. She was born with a skin condition, making her skin appear rough and scaly, though it only seemed to exist on her arms. Her height never received many comments but certainly got attention, as she towered over many men her age, standing at almost six and half feet.

“What’s your name, sugar?” The woman then asked.

“Madelia.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful young lady.” The woman smiled, “My name’s Gale.”

“It’s very nice to meet you Gale.” Madelia replied, sipping more of her coffee.

“What’s got you so interested in monsters, hun? Hoping to hunt some?” Gale asked, glancing at the articles that had captured the young woman’s attention.

Madelia shook her head, “Oh, no. I’m more interested in learning about them than anything. Where they come from, how they live. I don’t think I could ever bring myself to hurt one of them.”

“That’s good. We aren’t hunting monsters around here anymore. I never saw much of a point in it any how.” Gale sighed, “A lot of ‘em got good hearts. There’s this sweet young man who brings his monster friend around sometimes. Some people still like to judge so he doesn’t really like to show that he’s a monster. I was lucky enough to find out, guess they trusted me.”

“Really?” Madelia followed the waitress back to the bar, anxious to hear more about the ordeal.

“Oh yeah. They were sweet boys. The monster boy was one hell of a cook too, tried to offer him a job but he already had one.” Gale explained.

Madelia pushed her food aside so she could lean on the counter top, “What kind of monster was he?”

“Couldn’t tell you. I don’t really know much of that kind of stuff.” Gale laughed.

“Do you by chance know where the monsters are?” Madelia asked, “Where can I find them?”

“They’ve got their own town out there somewhere. No one really knows how to get there. But there’s something out there that I’m sure you’d be interested in.” Gale smiled.

“Now don’t be sending that nice young lady on any wild goose chases, Gale.” A voice called out from the kitchen, “Don’t want her getting hurt because she doesn’t know the area.”

“She seems to be a bright girl, I’m sure she knows how to handle herself, Bill.” Gale rolled her eyes at the man’s remark, then turned her attention back to the younger woman, “But don’t you go running off to find them until you’ve had something to eat and gotten some rest. I can tell you’re a little too anxious to get going.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Madelia nodded.

The next morning she wasted no time. The second she woke up she was getting dressed for an adventure. Gale’s directions were locked into her phone ready to be followed. Before the sun had even begun to rise she climbed into her car and set off. Leaving the town behind as she entered the dense tree line into the dirt road of the forest. 

She must have taken a wrong turn. The trees were clearing and she had yet to find any sign of a single monster. Maybe Gale was only talking about an old legend, something that didn’t actually exist. Maybe she’d believed another lie created to bring in tourists. Madelia knew she must have been lost. The trees were now sparse and continually thinning. 

Then she saw it. A large building resembling a large castle, like the way Count Dracula’s fortress had always been described. When she got closer she knew she must have been mistaken. No more than a high school. The name however she found strange, “Monster High”, it had to have been named for the rumors of monsters in the area. But something else was telling her that it was real, that she needed to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gale is inspired by a woman who comes to my work often, also named Gale. That wasn’t super important but I wanted to drop that little fact for you guys.


	3. Chapter 2

Madelia starred up at the large building, her fingers tracing the lettering on the sign. What was this place? Why did she feel so drawn to it? There must be something greater here than what she had come to find.

“May I help you?” A woman asked.

Madelia jumped, turning to face an older woman, “Oh, I’m sorry I was just…” She didn’t know how to answer, she didn’t even know for herself why she was there.

“I am the head mistress here at Monster High. If there is anything you need I believe I would be the one who can help.”

The woman had confirmed it, this was most definitely a human school, “I was just looking for something. I must have taken a wrong turn.”

“What was it that you were trying to find?” The woman began walking up the steps of the school to where Madelia stood.

“It will probably sound strange but I’m here to study monsters, I was hoping to find some, maybe. I won’t keep you any longer. You probably have work to do.”

The woman laughed a little, “I think I will be able to help you more than you may think. Would you like to come inside and talk in my office? I have some time before school begins.”

“Really? I don’t want to intrude.” Madelia asked.

“It is cold out, and you don’t seem to know where else to go for the information you’re looking for.” The woman smiled.

The older woman unlocked the doors to the building and opened them to the young woman. Madelia hesitantly walked inside of the still darkened building. As she stepped in the lights in the hallway flickered to life. 

As she followed the woman through the office she scanned her surroundings. The halls were lined with oddly shaped lockers. A large trophy case caught the young woman’s eye, the shelves lined with trophies and photos, photos of monsters.

“You…” Madelia didn’t know what to say, “This is a monster school. How is a human the headmistress at a monster school?”

The woman laughed under her breath and unlocked a door, gesturing for Madelia to go in. After Madelia entered the woman followed. Inside of the office stood a large mare with glowing red eyes and dark blue coat.

“You know, sometimes we aren’t exactly what we appear to be.” The woman removed her head from between her shoulders and set the severed head on her desk, “I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself. I am Nora Bloodgood.”

Madelia didn’t mean to stare but she was far too fascinated. She had so many questions. Sure she had heard stories about all kinds of monsters but there were still so many she had never seen in person before. A headless horseman being one of them.

“And who might you be, young lady?” Bloodgood asked.

“Oh, uh, I’m Madelia Baros.” The younger woman finally replied, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Bloodgood smiled, “Tell me about your study. What brings you here exactly?”

“Well, I don’t exactly know, honestly. I’ve always wanted to know more about monsters, to help prove that they aren’t all bad like everyone seems to insist.” Madelia answered with a small shrug, “I had some extra money so I wanted to travel and continue my studies. There was something about this place, I just felt drawn to it.”

Nora nodded, “It’s strange how things workout. Monster High is the most diverse monster school in the world. I’m sure you’ll be able to find whatever it is you’re looking for within these walls.” 

“It’s wonderful here. I can already tell.” Madelia shifted her gaze around the room, observing the various artifacts that rested throughout, “What is this?” She asked, picking up a small box.

“Gorgon powder. I obtained it in an unfortunate event here a while back. Made from a mirror looked into by a gorgon, it has the ability to turn living things to stone, just like the stare of Medusa herself.”

Madelia returned the item to the self. Her mind wandered to the memories of her mother. She’d always pictured her with green serpents for hair and gaze to turn men to stone, like the legendary gorgon Medusa, but all of those memories had been proven false. Perhaps hearing the legend as a child had molded what she saw as a monster, what she saw now saw her mother to be.

She ignored the thought and continued to talk with the headmistress. She had so many questions to ask, far too many for her to ask in the short amount of time. Nora Bloodgood did her best to answer all of the young woman’s questions. But of course time eventually ran out, with so many questions still unanswered.

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t talk more, students will be arriving soon.” Nora apologized, “I’m sure that we could arrange a chance for you to come by for a background check of sorts and perhaps you could talk with some of the students for your research.”

“That would be amazing.” Madelia smiled.

By the time Madelia left the office teachers had filed into their offices. She had to stop herself from entering the different rooms to talk with the monsters she was seeing. When she walked back out of the front doors to the schools she was met with monsters of all kinds, running about like normal teenagers. She’d met so few monsters, never before had she interacted with any young monsters, just as she’d expected they were no different from any other kids.

Groups of different monsters stood together talking. A three girls and boy were approaching the school together, three werewolf, what Madelia could only assume to be a vampire. It was strange to her, she’d always heard that the two monsters hated one another. There were a few boys tossing around a football, ignoring the ice on the ground. The werewolf boy rushed ahead of the girls to join them.

They all seemed to be dressed differently, not all of them dressed for the winter at least. Werewolves and other typically furry monsters seemed to be dressed as if it were any time but winter. Some were dressed in far too many layers to have been comfortable, but Madelia supposed some monsters may get cold more easily.

Madelia was too distracted by all of the strange new creatures she was seeing, she stopped looking ahead. Just as she stepped off of the stairs she lost her footing and slipped on the ice beneath her feet.

“Deuce, man, look out!” A voice called out.

Just then a boy crashed into her, right as Madelia was regaining her balance, knocking them both to the ground. The red sunglasses the boy had been wearing fell off. Their eyes met. His eyes were slit like a snake’s, the same vibrant green as Madelia’s herself. The young boy’s expression quickly turned to panic.

“Shit! Sorry!” The teen panicked, frantically looking for the sunglasses that had fallen off of his face before he looked up and his gaze fell on the young woman. Then his expression changed, “You... You didn't... I... You’re still...” He fumbled through his words, "You aren't stone..."

What was he talking about? Stone?

“Deuce.” A girl’s voice called out.

The teen quickly grabbed his sunglasses and put them back on and turned to run over to the girl, “Sorry again!” He called out to Madelia.

The boy ran off toward a young mummy girl. The girl instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled the boy into a kiss. She teasingly pulled out some of his green hair that had been tucked into his beanie. She twirled it around her finger, in a way that almost made it seem as though it were moving on it’s own.

Madelia shifted her gaze away from the teens. She really didn’t want to stare. It must have been creepy to say the least. A grown woman, just staring at these teenagers like some kind of crazy lady. That wasn’t what she had wanted, her curiosity was just getting the better of her, and the boy who had crashed into her really caught her eye. There was something familiar about him, but Madelia couldn’t put her finger on what it was.


End file.
